The last few fashion seasons saw a celebratory union between tradition and textiles with fashion aces weaving culture into their creations and having art performers for showstoppers.
Young designer Sashikant Naidu has found his style muse in classical music and is thrilled to have discovered the thread that binds his twin passions. The diversity in their texture seems to steer his creativity. “For me music is intrinsic and somewhere a deep human need. It sets the directional mood when you are working on something,” he says, talking about his latest line which is an ode to Indian classical music. “It most often plays in your mind subconsciously, but sometimes it totally subsumes you, permeating your work and life,” he says explaining the unusual raga and ramp fusion.
“Classical music, in all its variations, is basically about emotion and expression of the soul. So it is with clothes; whether they are ethnic, western or Indo-western. The designer reaches out to the world around through these silhouettes into which are sewn his imagination and moods.”
So how did sound or swaras inspire the structure, form and cuts of his outfits? Since natural fibre and hand-woven fabrics make up much of Sashikant’s design oeuvre, he says it wasn’t difficult for him to find that connecting rhythm; to come up with a harmonious blend. “Textiles, architecture, painting, printing, colour, dance, music… they are all the senses. And they bring about a new, positive energy.” He has tried to capture the rise and fall of the pitch, the modulation of the voice and the expansion and improvisation of notes through his range of saris and dresses.
At the Lakme Fashion Week Festive/Winter Sashikant took the “risk of promoting khadi”. He textured, layered and made it thick enough to promote it as a winter fabric. “It deserves a better place as a fabric that breathes and keeps one cool in summer and warm in winter.”
Sashikant is delighted that today culture and heritage are increasingly defining the design language. “Though not all of us look at our work from a purely commercial angle, it would be nice when the advantage reaches the weavers and artisans,” he points out.
And that’s the root of the matter.
